MATCHWATCH : Stoke City (a)

[Millsy]

deleted

[Horsham Royal]

Ok so a new season. Great.

No BFTGs These days?

Not trawling through pages to find ratings and can’t comment on the game didn’t watch it but from the highlights....

1) Swift looks good at last. I mean his hair cut. Fantastic goal though.

2) is it just me or did Rafael completely cock up for their second goal with the ball through his legs in what should have been an easy save? After last season’s cockups this really isn’t looking good so early in the season.

3) Great we started young ones. I can’t wait to endure a couple of seasons of deer in headlights performances to train them up for some other clubs to take them for free/peanuts.

1) Long time coming.
2) Deflected.
3) Deer don't eat peanuts.

[NathStPaul]

Haven't read this thread. Are we having a meltdown about relegation already?

People were saying relegation is a certainty and the manager should be fired 30 minutes into the game.

Favourite thing so far is some supporters on Twitter blaming the fan run Reading FC accounts for not holding the owner to account. Some really laughable stuff on there.

[Snowflake Royal]

Yep. We were found out last season playing just Joao upfront. Teams put two players into him and marked him out of games. We had no plan B.
If we are going to play two upfront though we need players that can send in decent crosses. Who are those players?

Yiadom can. He just doesn't very often. Swift should be able to. Bristow ought to be able to.

I’m struggling to remember any goals we have scored from a Yiadom cross. He keeps cutting inside to no great effect.

I think there was one in pre season in the first game after you said he can't cross.

[Zip]

Yiadom can. He just doesn't very often. Swift should be able to. Bristow ought to be able to.

I’m struggling to remember any goals we have scored from a Yiadom cross. He keeps cutting inside to no great effect.

I think there was one in pre season in the first game after you said he can't cross.

Yeah great a pre season friendly. Tell me about all the assists from Yiadom crosses in League games.

[Snowflake Royal]

I’m struggling to remember any goals we have scored from a Yiadom cross. He keeps cutting inside to no great effect.

I think there was one in pre season in the first game after you said he can't cross.

Yeah great a pre season friendly. Tell me about all the assists from Yiadom crosses in League games.

Obviously there won't be many because he's not currently tasked with crossing and we only play one upfront.

If you change to play 2 up and instruct him to cross that will likely change.

Put in a couple of decent crosses against Stoke.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Ok so a new season. Great.

No BFTGs These days?

Not trawling through pages to find ratings and can’t comment on the game didn’t watch it but from the highlights....

1) Swift looks good at last. I mean his hair cut. Fantastic goal though.

2) is it just me or did Rafael completely cock up for their second goal with the ball through his legs in what should have been an easy save? After last season’s cockups this really isn’t looking good so early in the season.

3) Great we started young ones. I can’t wait to endure a couple of seasons of deer in headlights performances to train them up for some other clubs to take them for free/peanuts.

Nice to read some positivity

[Royal Ginger]

3) Deer don't eat peanuts.

https://www.deermanagement.us/deer-hunting-feeding-peanuts-to-deer/

[John Smith]

Just seen the goals for the first time, how many goals does Rafael need to give away before we get the message that he really isn`t very good?

Thank you!

He should be first out the door! Must be one of the highest paid players.

[Millsy]

Ok so a new season. Great.

No BFTGs These days?

Not trawling through pages to find ratings and can’t comment on the game didn’t watch it but from the highlights....

1) Swift looks good at last. I mean his hair cut. Fantastic goal though.

2) is it just me or did Rafael completely cock up for their second goal with the ball through his legs in what should have been an easy save? After last season’s cockups this really isn’t looking good so early in the season.

3) Great we started young ones. I can’t wait to endure a couple of seasons of deer in headlights performances to train them up for some other clubs to take them for free/peanuts.

Nice to read some positivity

Good point, sorry. But I just don't have a lot of positivity about this season so am deciding to be grump this year.

It just feels after the massive promise of last season this is just going to be a shit season with the financial crap that has crippled our prospects, the loss of players we endured/trained who just ****ed off for very little as soon as they stopped being shit noobs and a manager who in my opinion after presiding over the most catastrophic capitulation in our history probably just ain't good enough and the worst bit is however badly we do, we'll always have the transfer embargo excuse so will likely not make changes. I can see it now - lower mid-table or relegation zone for most of the season and then a mass debate over whether pauno should stay.

I'm secretly hoping the very act of typing out all that negativity has somehow affected some field of quantum morphic resonance spacetime continuum thingy and changed the future such that we'll have a great run in or around the playoffs, we'll be allowed to strengthen in January, get in there, win it and people will be copying and pasting the above paragraph for years to come to mock me when we're in the PL under Pauno.

[Hound]

Ok so a new season. Great.

No BFTGs These days?

Not trawling through pages to find ratings and can’t comment on the game didn’t watch it but from the highlights....

1) Swift looks good at last. I mean his hair cut. Fantastic goal though.

2) is it just me or did Rafael completely cock up for their second goal with the ball through his legs in what should have been an easy save? After last season’s cockups this really isn’t looking good so early in the season.

3) Great we started young ones. I can’t wait to endure a couple of seasons of deer in headlights performances to train them up for some other clubs to take them for free/peanuts.

Nice to read some positivity

Good point, sorry. But I just don't have a lot of positivity about this season so am deciding to be grump this year.

It just feels after the massive promise of last season this is just going to be a shit season with the financial crap that has crippled our prospects, the loss of players we endured/trained who just ****ed off for very little as soon as they stopped being shit noobs and a manager who in my opinion after presiding over the most catastrophic capitulation in our history probably just ain't good enough and the worst bit is however badly we do, we'll always have the transfer embargo excuse so will likely not make changes. I can see it now - lower mid-table or relegation zone for most of the season and then a mass debate over whether pauno should stay.

I'm secretly hoping the very act of typing out all that negativity has somehow affected some field of quantum morphic resonance spacetime continuum thingy and changed the future such that we'll have a great run in or around the playoffs, we'll be allowed to strengthen in January, get in there, win it and people will be copying and pasting the above paragraph for years to come to mock me when we're in the PL under Pauno.

just try and enjoy the season for what it is. No, we won't be challenging for promotion, and likely bottom half. But still should be nice to see some of the younger lads come through, and hopefully we'll have more scope as the season goes on to keep them here. Still got plenty of talent in the side - and if we play like we did going forward against Stoke, it should be quite entertaining at times. And hopefully things will start to improve financially come the end of this year

[Coppells Lost Coat]

Both positives negatives to take away. Some of the meltdowns i have seen, you would have thought we got dicked 9-0. Squad depth let us down in the end but we have 3 weeks to fix that, hopefully.
The biggest negative was our defensive unit being shambolic at times But its the first game back so i am not that worried. Plenty of room to improve. If we are still look that awful at the back after 3/4 games then i will.
Agree Cabral looked fairly crap 1 or 2 more games like that would see him being replaced and rightly so. How good is Southwood? Probably not as good as people want him to be.
Great to see a few academy players look useful.
Thought Stoke in large, looked in parts quite tidy. Allen and Vrancic look a decent partnership. Well drilled at CB. Knew that kicking the shins off Swift would stop us.

[Millsy]

Nice to read some positivity

Good point, sorry. But I just don't have a lot of positivity about this season so am deciding to be grump this year.

It just feels after the massive promise of last season this is just going to be a shit season with the financial crap that has crippled our prospects, the loss of players we endured/trained who just ****ed off for very little as soon as they stopped being shit noobs and a manager who in my opinion after presiding over the most catastrophic capitulation in our history probably just ain't good enough and the worst bit is however badly we do, we'll always have the transfer embargo excuse so will likely not make changes. I can see it now - lower mid-table or relegation zone for most of the season and then a mass debate over whether pauno should stay.

I'm secretly hoping the very act of typing out all that negativity has somehow affected some field of quantum morphic resonance spacetime continuum thingy and changed the future such that we'll have a great run in or around the playoffs, we'll be allowed to strengthen in January, get in there, win it and people will be copying and pasting the above paragraph for years to come to mock me when we're in the PL under Pauno.

just try and enjoy the season for what it is. No, we won't be challenging for promotion, and likely bottom half. But still should be nice to see some of the younger lads come through, and hopefully we'll have more scope as the season goes on to keep them here. Still got plenty of talent in the side - and if we play like we did going forward against Stoke, it should be quite entertaining at times. And hopefully things will start to improve financially come the end of this year

Fair points well made. Yeah I'll definitely enjoy going to the stad and will enjoy watching the young lads develop I guess.

[URZZZZ]

I think there was one in pre season in the first game after you said he can't cross.

Yeah great a pre season friendly. Tell me about all the assists from Yiadom crosses in League games.

Obviously there won't be many because he's not currently tasked with crossing and we only play one upfront.

If you change to play 2 up and instruct him to cross that will likely change.

Put in a couple of decent crosses against Stoke.

Yiadom’s composure in the final third is the issue - hacks at shots too often and rarely has an end product

You’re right that our current style isn’t engineered towards that but even under Bowen where there was more of an emphasis on getting the ball in the box, he rarely contributed in that sense, even when the likes of Blackett and Obita were

[URZZZZ]

My 2 bugbears from last season....

How was Rafael’s kicking today?

How was Joao’s body language today?

Both shit.

Unfair on the former today. Joao wanted off after a knock to his shoulder after 20mins and played like it.

There’s always a scapegoat didn’t you know?

Baton been passed on, seemingly going to be Rafael this season although I’m sure there’ll be a couple of others too

[Snowflake Royal]

To be clear, my comment is solely about body language and kicking to answer the specific question.

If I'm scapegoating anyone, which I try not to, it's Moore

[Zip]

Yeah great a pre season friendly. Tell me about all the assists from Yiadom crosses in League games.

Obviously there won't be many because he's not currently tasked with crossing and we only play one upfront.

If you change to play 2 up and instruct him to cross that will likely change.

Put in a couple of decent crosses against Stoke.

Yiadom’s composure in the final third is the issue - hacks at shots too often and rarely has an end product

You’re right that our current style isn’t engineered towards that but even under Bowen where there was more of an emphasis on getting the ball in the box, he rarely contributed in that sense, even when the likes of Blackett and Obita were

Yep Agreed. If Yiadom is going to play as a wing back he has to improve his final pass or cross.

[NathStPaul]

Both shit.

Unfair on the former today. Joao wanted off after a knock to his shoulder after 20mins and played like it.

There’s always a scapegoat didn’t you know?

Baton been passed on, seemingly going to be Rafael this season although I’m sure there’ll be a couple of others too

He was crap for a lot of last season too to be fair.

[paultheroyal]

Beginning to wonder if there is any Reading player currently adored by anyone...

so far today Raphael, Joao, Swift, Yiadom, Moore, Puscas, Ejaria are all toilet.

[CountryRoyal]

Beginning to wonder if there is any Reading player currently adored by anyone...

so far today Raphael, Joao, Swift, Yiadom, Moore, Puscas, Ejaria are all toilet.

Nah I like some but certainly don’t have the connection to them as some players in years gone by. Probably players like Meite/Rino/Laurent but again, asides from a playing perspective, would hardly be devastated if they left.